Masters Champion, Rory McIlroy, is the BBC Northern Ireland Sports Personality of the Year for 2025.
In April, McIlroy sealed victory in a play-off at the Masters in Augusta to become only the sixth man in history – and first European – to clinch golf’s Grand Slam. He also played a crucial role in helping Europe retain the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black in September.
In an outstanding year, the world number two also sealed another dramatic play-off win at the Irish Open at the K Club, the Players Championship, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and finished the year with his seventh Race to Dubai title.
The Holywood man clinched the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award last week, and winning the BBC Northern Ireland title this year, adds to a trio of previous successes for McIlroy in the BBC Northern Ireland awards – picking up his last trophy in 2014.
Receiving this year’s award, Rory said:
“I just want to say thank you to everyone from Northern Ireland for supporting me and believing in me, and being on this journey with me, I feel like everyone’s watched me grow up. I’ll always love coming home, I don’t get back as often as I would like, and I feel like I bring Northern Ireland with me everywhere that I go.”
Neil Brittain, Executive Editor, BBC Sport NI said:
“Every year when the judges get together to go through the possible winners, we are amazed by the breadth of world class sporting talent we have in Northern Ireland and by their achievements across the previous 12 months. And, as always, it makes selecting one winner really difficult. But, it’s impossible to look past what Rory has achieved this year – securing that illusive Grand Slam and his place as one of golf’s greatest ever and then helping Europe retain the Ryder Cup. Congratulations to Rory and we’re looking forward to seeing him back in action in 2026.”
McIlroy was voted overall winner this year ahead of stiff competition from a host of local sporting contenders that included World Championship silver medallist, athlete Kate O’Connor; Belfast fighter Lewis Crocker who clinched the IBF welterweight title in September; Michael Dunlop who holds the record number of 33 wins at the Isle of Man TT and Liverpool right-back and Northern Ireland men’s captain Conor Bradley.
The judging panel was: former All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winner Oisín McConville; four-time paralympic champion Michael McKillop; former Northern Ireland international Julie Nelson, Ireland hockey’s record cap holder Shirley McCay; Neil Brittain, Executive Editor BBC Sport NI and BBC Sport NI football commentator Thomas Kane.
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